December Seventeen Article
AtlantisT5
This came from <A
HREF="http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/stage/7608/index.html">*! Hanson
Addicts Anonymous !*</A>
Seventeen Magazine - December 97
BLOND AMBITION: They've gone from the Middle of Nowhere to the center of the
universe, but Hanson keeps its cool.
By Ethan Brown
Follow the screams and you'll find Hanson. Tonight the screams are coming form
the hundreds of girls who are assembled outside the Beacon Theatre in New York
City. They're bearing signs that read ZAC: YOU'RE ALL I'M LIVING 4; WE LOVE
HANSON 4-EVER; HANSON: AMERICA'S BOYS. They're hoping to catch a glimpse of
Isaac (17), Taylor (14) and Zac (12) leaving the theater where they've just
shot their upcoming home-video concert, Tulsa, Tokyo &the Middle of
Nowhere, and the video for their next single, "I Will Come to You." When the
Hanson brothers appear at the Beacon's backdoor, the noise reaches deafening
decibels. The guys sprint to their limo and pile into the car's plush
backseat. A mob of girls breaks through the police barriers and swarms the
car, pounding against its windows. The brothers pound right back, laughing at
the frenzy. As the car pulls away, Isaac, Taylor and Zac kick back in the
limo, readying themselves for a trip to the airport. The Hansons are off to
Europe to tour and record their first Christmas album, Snowed In. Zac spots a
car weaving through traffic to keep up with them. "I wonder if they're
following us," he says. They are. At a red light, a carful of girls pulls up.
As the brothers roll down their windows, the girls begin yelling frantically.
Then the Hansons ask in mock upper-class British accents: "Pardon me, do
you have any Grey Poupon?" You might say tere worldwide and had a number one
single in 23 countries, yet they're cool, funny and down-to-earth. "You look
out there and you see all these people. And you look on the charts and you see
your name. And people go, 'Oh, my God, you're Hanson!'" says Taylor. "And you
go, 'Wait, I can't believe
this.'" "It's been totally unbelievable," Isaac agrees. "People think of us as
stars," says Taylor, "and we don't think we're stars at all, not even for a
second." "We think, Stars? Where?" says Zac. "If I saw a band like us," says
Taylor, "the first thing I would say was 'Fake! They're put together; they
don't write their own songs.'" The Hansons are able to deal with the type of
hysteria that would drive even the most seasoned rock star insane.
"You go to a concert and there's all this craziness, but it's just a lot of
people who are really excited," says Taylor. In places as diverse as
Indonesia, Australia and Paramus, New Jersey, the Hanson craze is at a fever
pitch. This summer, at a Hard Rock Café in Jakarta, Indonesia, a riot nearly
broke out when thousands of fans stormed the tiny establishment. "They were
flinging rocks," says Taylor. "We had people throwing themselves at us and
hanging on us and ripping out our hair and trying to kiss us. "In Australia
25,000 people showed up to see us perform three acoustic songs," Taylor
continues. "In Taiwan a group of girls followed us everywhere we went, and
they had cabs waiting at all times. I mean, they spent a lot of money on cab
fare," he muses. But the most hair-raising (blond, or course) experience for
these guys occurred at what was supposed to be a small in-store appearance
at the Paramus Park shopping center in New Jersey. "It was like the first
appearance we had ever done," remembers Taylor. "And we went to this mall -
there were like 8,000 people. And we had no security, no barricades on the
stage. We thought, Wow, if they wanted to get on the stage, they could." With
all this touring, the brothers are racking up major mileage. "It's really
amazing to think, Yesterday I was in Indonesia; today I'm in Canada," says
Taylor. "We've been all over Asia, all over Europe. A lot of people never get
to do that." "It's an incredible opportunity," interjects Isaac, "but at the
same time you start to miss home." "You DEFINITELY miss home," agrees Taylor.
"But, still, when are you ever going to be able to do this?" What keeps these
guys' spirits up during their ultrahectic schedule is their love for music and
devotion to their fans (not to mention the copious amounts of
Dr. Pepper and Jelly Belly Very Cherry jelly beans they consume). "We're doing
it because we love to do it," says Isaac. "There's always a little bit of
exhaustion." "It's the most fun thing ever," adds Taylor. "We enjoy recording
and performing." Perhaps it's because their father, Walker, is their manager.
For the recording of Snowed In, the entire family - which includes mother
Diana; sisters Jessica, 9, and Avery, 6; and brother Mackenzie, 3 -
will be staying together in a residential studio in London. "Hanson's family
is what keeps them sane," says Mercury Records' senior vice president, Steve
Greenberg, who signed Hanson to the label back in 1996. Walker Hanson's
management has kept some of the Hanson mania at a distance. The boys - it
comes as no surprise - have been offered many Hollywood deals. "People have
offered us sitcoms, movies and all that," says Isaac. (One deal had them
starring in a film version of the '60s TV series My Three Sons.) "Obviously we
didn't accept." While you won't be seeing My Three Hansons, one rumor won't go
away - that Hanson will be starring in a biopic a la the Beatles' A Hard Day's
Night. The Hanson publicity machine vehemently denies it. But according to
Entertainment Weekly, Morgan J. Freeman has been hired to write the film. For
now, fans can content themselves with the Hanson-related
merchandise coming this winter. "We want to say right now that we're not going
to put out Hanson dolls," says Taylor. "We're not going to put out totally
sell-out stuff." "We'll offer a hat or a T-shirt," says Zac. "It's not going
to be jackets and boxer shorts and lunch boxes." They're also putting out an
authorized biography to set the Hanson record straight. "Somebody said
Taylor's a left-handed dyslexic; that's not true," says Isaac. "I'm
right-handed and not dyslexic," chimes in Taylor. "They also say we're
immigrants from Sweden, and that I used to have a girlfriend named Ashley who
cheated on me, so I broke up with her. What's funny is that I DO have a friend
named Ashley, but he's a guy." "There was one about Ike dating LeAnn Rimes,"
says Zac. "We don't even know LeAnn Rimes." The truth is that neither Isaac,
Taylor nor Zac is dating anyone right now. "We have nothing against
girls," says Taylor. "We actually like girls a lot. It just hasn't happened
naturally." You can't blame them for wanting to remain solo. This has been a
big year for teen-oriented pop, and Hanson has duked it out on the charts with
everybody from Puff Daddy to the Spice Girls, whom they met during a publicity
tour in Europe. "They're all very short," says Zac. If they're not into
talking about the Spice Girls - or being compared to them, or to any
other new kids on the block - they will acknowledge the anti-Hanson backlash.
"You're always bashed for being the new thing," says Taylor. The Hansons are
tough enough to stand up to their critics, and they're also very protective of
their younger siblings. There's a reason why they're not part of the act. "You
want them to be able to do whatever they want," says Isaac. Taylor agrees: "We
don't want to put them too much in the spotlight." But the
younger Hansons do provide musical inspiration. "The first songs we wrote were
about them," says Taylor. They even composed a lullaby called "I'll Show You
Mars" for their brother. Mars is probably the one place in the solar system
immune to Hanson mania. The brothers don't think they've peaked yet, and Steve
Greenberg agrees, saying, "The guys want to mature with their fans." If the
girls at the Beacon Theatre are any indication, Hanson will be
rockin' through the millennium.
-----
Two points I just *have* to say:
- TAY'S RIGHT HANDED <sorry, I'll shut up, but he said it so right there...!
;)>
- also, I read an account from the girl who pulled up next to them in the car!!
I didn't believe that they'd actually said that! LOL, that's too funny! I
wish I could remember who it was now...
Anyway, I still haven't gotten this issue as I can't find it...argh! =P
Tegan
---
"YOU LOVE ME, YOU REALLY LOVE ME!!!" - Zac
"You guys rock... so hard!!" - Ike
"YEEEAH!!!" - Tay (1997 MTV Europe Music Awards)
AtlantisT5
<<Thanks for posting that, Tay. So Taylor is right handed! One mystery
solved;
100 to go. lol>>
'Welcome! =) Hehe, I hate to say it... no, I don't... Told ya so! <grin>
only kidding... ;o)
J. H.
if you guys don't know yet, Hanson is going to be on AOL live on 11/11/97
at 9:00!! c-ya later (jenn...@aol.com)
Verity Milligan
Don't rub it in....
*Not on AOL*
J. H. <full...@flash.net> wrote in article
<01bced48$97b9dda0$60e0a998@haggerty>...
Wheezer100
<<Thanks for posting that, Tay. So Taylor is right handed! One mystery
solved;
100 to go. lol>>
Tegan<<<'Welcome! =) Hehe, I hate to say it... no, I don't... Told ya so!
<grin> only kidding... ;o)>>
Well, you know, I always thought that the fact that he writes with his right
hand, and does almost everything else with that hand, was a bit of a clue!
Duncan
PJCindy
>>Hey, what time zone is the 9:00pm?
Rondi<<
Eastern, Rondi!
* * * * * * * * * *
"We're on vacation, looking for the world's largest rodents." -- Taylor Hanson
AtlantisT5
<<Well, you know, I always thought that the fact that he writes with his right
hand, and does almost everything else with that hand, was a bit of a clue!
Duncan>>
My thoughts exactly Duncan! Some people just didn't get it... <kidding!> =)
PJCindy
>>Well, you know, I always thought that the fact that he writes with his right
hand, and does almost everything else with that hand, was a bit of a clue!
Duncan<<
Was it, now? LOL Maybe I'll call you Sherlock Holmes from now on instead of
Yoda. :-)
Rondi & Jay Anderson
Rondi & Jay Anderson
OK I am talking to myself, But it is 9:00 PM eastern.
Rondi & Jay Anderson <j...@trubluinteractive.comNOSPAM> wrote in article
<01bced7e$44756de0$0e91e9cc@bigblu>...
AshVID
a guy named Ashley....hhrrmmm....who could that be...
PJCindy
>>a guy named Ashley....hhrrmmm....who could that be...<<
LOL
LauraLyn3
>a guy named Ashley....hhrrmmm....who could that be...
Yeah, I thought of you Ash! :-) *giggle* That was neat-o! Hehehe...
:-) Laura
Laur...@aol.com
veLLy
9:pm eastern something i won't be able to get! cause i don't have aol but
that's kay!
peece n love
Lavelle
Karen386
>a guy named Ashley....hhrrmmm....who could that be...
Hmmm... that's a good thought, ASHLEY... :) Maybe it's that guy up the
street... OR MAYBE... it's the guy I'm playing Monopoly with...
Fred: Who, me? My name is Fred, not Ashley.
Mork: Same here.
Karen: Forget it.
Karen
Dreamtied
>
>a guy named Ashley....hhrrmmm....who could that be
lol..you know, the temptation to email you with "sooo...ash, you made
*seventeen*...what a thrill......" was nearly overwhelming. Hey, at least he
didnt make it a point to re- remind the entire world of your online name......
Marc Koenig
>
> Ack! So what happens to JoBob? Answers people, answers...
> --simon
ROTFL You're oo funny, Simon.
Bethany